Winter Night
by TheMightyInuzuka
Summary: ONE-SHOT: Naruto was never one to go out during the holidays. But what will happen when his best friend decides to take him out for once? A holiday fan-fic to return to my writing streak. Implied NaruSasu, but pairing is NaruKiba. Rated M for slight language. Would be Rated T, but I mean, that usually doesn't happen.


The light crackle of fire was the only noise in the small, cluttered apartment.

Carefully, a tree had been decorated: glistening copper, emerald, and crimson bulbs hung listlessly on each branch here and there, and a long strand of blue lights wrapped around the white canvas, allowing it to turn a light sky blue. It was seasonal art for sure.

The heat from the fireplace filled the room along with its sounds, giving off a calming atmosphere to feed off of. For anyone.

I seemed to drift off. I wasn't sure where, though.

It was as if the sudden aura from my living room put me in a holiday trance. Of course, not like the ones that were induced by excessive visitors and eggnog. Nor by the music or presents. It was just…one of those trances you couldn't help but get lost in.

The intoxication was too much.

My eyes were half-closed; the ceiling seemed a lot darker than it was, I knew that. I sighed and put a hand through my golden hair, closing my eyes finally. These were how days were as of late. Mostly filled with being alone and not knowing what to do with myself. I scratched my cheek and hoisted myself up, reluctantly, and went back into my kitchen for another mug of hot chocolate.

Childish, ne?

The cold feel of my tile kitchen shocked my feet a bit; I had expected the floor to be warm as well. But of course not. That's never how things worked out.

I put my orange mug down on the counter and opened my cupboard. Pulling out the hot chocolate mix, I put it down next to my mug. In the middle of gathering all of my ingredients, someone knocked on the door.

I glance over my shoulder, in disbelief almost.

Someone was up at this time?

This time? It was only seven or so. Still dark and cold, but nonetheless. I sighed as a second knock came. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold on a moment, yeah?"

It was weird hearing the sound of my own voice; I hadn't talked at all for the past two hours that I almost scared myself. I headed towards the door, making sure that I was at least dressed properly. My pajama pants and my loose fitting shirt seemed enough. I took a breath before opening the door, waiting for the cold to make my home lukewarm.

"Ye—Kiba?"

There he was: one of my good friends, Kiba. The brunette was bundled up in a dark brown winter coat, hands stuffed in his pockets. His hood was down, but covering his neck almost like a scarf, but you could tell that he was still freezing. Boots and long pants, Kiba smiled a toothy grin. I smiled back. "Hey there….can I come in?" Kiba asked, looking behind me to see if anyone else was inside I assumed.

I nodded and moved out of the way quickly, allowing the Inuzuka to enter my home. I closed the door quickly as he removed his boots and walked inside. He removed his hands from his pockets and let out a big sigh. Even though his cheeks were already red, I could see that he was slightly flushed from the cold. Why did he travel over in snow?

"So, what brings you over here tonight…?" I ask, curious.

"I thought you might want some company…" He responded.

"Company?"

"Yes, company. Like…friends. Or visitors."

I blinked a couple of times then smirked a bit, rubbing the back of my head. "I-I guess…! Do you want something to drink? I was just about to make myself some hot chocolate…but I have stronger stuff or like…tamer…?"

Kiba thought for a moment and shrugged, "Whatever you have is fine. Hot chocolate seems great right now." He removed his jacket, revealing a loose long sleeve shirt. It wasn't loose that it seemed to hang off his body, but it was definitely a little bigger than it needed to be. It was crimson, but hugged his body a bit in the right places. His messy chocolate hair made me laugh a bit; even though it was definitely combed, it still seemed unruly, just like my own locks. "I'll just sit on the couch."

I nodded and went back into the kitchen, "Yeah, just make yourself at home."

Taking out another mug, I started preparing another hot chocolate for myself and Kiba; it was actually really nice of him to come out and visit. I rarely got people over during the holidays. Mostly because everyone was too busy with their own families…speaking of which.

"So, why aren't you doing anything with your family?"

Kiba took a moment before responding; we made eye contact as I looked over my shoulder and he glanced over his. "Well, Hana is out actually in the Mist with some guy…I don't even want to get into it. And my mother isn't really the festive type until two days before the holiday. So…I thought I'd come visit you!"

"Why me of all people…? What about Ino?" I asked, mentioning his girlfriend.

There was a silence before Kiba sighed, "Yeah…that's not happening anymore."

I paused before turning completely towards my friend, "What…? Why? You two seemed happy!"

Kiba shrugged, "Eh, well. Let's just say we have differences that we really can't satiate."

"Differences?" I asked, placing the hot chocolate in the microwave.

"Yeah. Just, the little things I guess? She needs someone that can take care of her like she wants. I'm not that guy, unfortunately. And it was a mutual thing, so don't worry about it, okay? What matters now is that I'm here with my best friend and I want to hang out."

My heart skipped a beat slightly as those words left his mouth. 'Best friend?' I thought, adjusting my shirt nervously. I had never really heard anyone say that before, except for maybe Sakura. Even that was awkward.

"Well, I don't have much to do around here…quite honestly. My humble abode isn't the grand hotel or anything," I paused as the microwave finished heating the drinks then carefully, I took them out and walked over to Kiba. He took one for me and smirked.

"Thanks." He muttered as he placed the mug down, taking a sip quickly.

I sat down next to him, a bit of distance between us, "but, I know for a fact that I can try my best to keep you entertained."

"Well, I was thinking after finishing up all this, you might wanna go with me on a walk around town…? Are you hungry?" Kiba asked, looking at me with his golden hazel eyes.

I blushed a bit, but luckily (or at least I hoped), it was hidden by the glow of the fire place and tree. I shifted a bit and placed my mug down on the table, "Uhm, sure. I could eat, yeah."

Kiba smiled brightly and sighed, "Awesome! I mean…yeah, cool. It'll be fun. I'm starving."

His excitement, which I took notice of, made me smile. I couldn't help it.

I took another sip of my drink and Kiba cleared his throat, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go for it."

"Do you ever…miss him?"

I tensed up; this topic hadn't come up in a long while. The term 'friend' or 'brother' don't get tossed around loosely with me. So when it comes to the topic of my best friend…someone who I cared about deeply, it was definitely a touchy subject. Sasuke had always been the illusive time. Even when he was literally being illusive. He had finally come back after many years of searching and training, but even after that, he wasn't the same.

I didn't feel the same. Neither did the village.

"I do…I think about him all the time…but not like I used to. He's gone. And there's nothing I can do about it."

"What those people did to him…it wasn't right."

"I know…still I don't know how they were clever or strong enough to overtake him, but he was overtaken. I guess…he wanted it to happen."

Kiba stayed silent for a moment. "Come on…we should probably get going before all the restaurants close." He stood up and grabbed his jacket again.

I nodded and stood, "Let me get changed real quick. I can't go out in the cold like this.

Kiba let out a chuckle as I went into my bedroom. I took off my loose fitting t-shirt, revealing my slightly scarred but defined stomach. I removed my pajama pants and put on some tighter jeans to keep in heat. I threw on a light orange shirt and grabbed my winter coat, which surprisingly wasn't orange but black. Well…that's not so different either.

I put on my shoes and walked back out into the living room. I looked over Kiba, who had already put on his boots and was waiting at the door. He smiled at me and stuck out his tongue lightly, "Ready to go?"

I smirked, "Yeah. Let's."

We exited my apartment and I locked the door behind us. We walked down the stairs and onto the main road. The street was covered in a light sleet, maybe even snow, as the two of us just walked in silence. It was peaceful.

The buildings were lined with colorful lights and wreaths. The lampposts had festive plants and ornaments hanging from them as well; Christmas time always seemed to be the most peaceful Konoha could ever be. My breath appeared in front of me as I began to speak, "They really did a great job decorating this year, yeah?"

I could see Kiba nod slightly, letting out a smile of his own. "Yeah. Hinata likes to help out with that. I know it was Ino, Hinata, and some other shinobi this year that headed the committee to make things festive," he looked to me, "they did a great job."

I laughed a bit; of course Hinata would be on that committee. She always seemed to be so festive. Every year she would make sure all of her friends and family got gifts or at least some sort of holiday item. Her and I would even visit the orphanage and academy to give out food and gifts. The kids constantly would say how cute of a couple we would make. But both of us knew that it couldn't happen. It wouldn't.

I wouldn't be able to.

She could, but I couldn't.

"Where do you want to eat?"

Kiba's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked up to the snowy sky; it was lightly starting to fall again. "Is that really a question?"

The brunette scoffed, "Ramen. Got it."

I could tell he was a little distraught; that was a cute factor of Kiba: easily irritated. It wasn't my fault that I liked ramen so much. "You're treating me, right?~"

Kiba rolled his eyes and I snickered; that was also cute of him.

We arrived at Ichiraku's, which thankfully was still open. Teuchi and Ayame smiled and welcomed us inside. "Ahh~ Naruto, Kiba! It's good to see you both. It's cold out, ne?"

"You've got that right, 'ttebayo!" I answered, sitting down. Kiba sat down right next to me and just nodded in response.

Teuchi cleared his throat, "You're just in time. We were about to close. But you can be our last customers. What will you be having?"

"I'm going to have two large bowls of miso ramen, please~"

Kiba glanced over at me and shook his head, laughing a bit. "And I'll just have a large bowl of miso with extra beef, please."

Ayame smiled, looking at the two of us; I gave her a look that said, "don't think about it". She rolled her eyes and smirked, going to prepare our meals. Teuchi crossed his arms, "So, on a date are we?"

Both of us blushed; even without me looking at Kiba, I could tell that he was blushing.

"Uh, you've got it wrong. We're jus—"

"Yeah…I guess you could say that." Kiba interrupted.

I blinked a couple of times before looking to him; he refused to make eye contact with me as he looked forward. His hands were folded in front of him neatly, but I could tell that he was stopping himself from shaking. Was he nervous?

I didn't respond and just let the silence sit in; the awkwardness made Teuchi snicker, "Ahh~ Got it. One-sided. Well, either way, don't worry about the ramen. It's on us tonight."

Kiba shook his head, "Oh, no…you don't have to do that…"

"But I want to! If you're nice enough to finally get my favorite customer out on the town during the holidays, then you deserve a free meal. And of course, if you were gonna treat him, we will treat you both. Don't worry about it." Teuchi explained and Kiba sighed.

He mouthed a thank you and I couldn't believe what was happening; did Teuchi and Kiba really think this was a date?

I watched as Teuchi left the stand for a moment to take care of a few things. I turned to Kiba and gulped, "A date huh?"

Kiba looked over at me finally, his eyes wide with surprise. "Oh…? You didn't suspect it? Are you that slow?"

"B-But…Ino…you…girls…?" I was confused.

"Oh…well, yah know. I kinda…well, don't look at gender you could say. If I fall in love with someone, I fall in love with them." Kiba explained.

"Love…?"

Kiba blushed, "Uh…did I say that?"

Before I could even respond, our ramen was placed in front of us. We both grabbed for chopsticks, only to grab the same one. I felt so cliche and I pulled back. "Go ahead."

Kiba sighed and took a pair, then I took one after him.

I couldn't help but feel a little warm inside. 'This guy.' I thought as I started eating, frivolously. I wasn't going to let my free ramen go to waste.

After fifteen minutes or so, we had finished our meal and left the stand. Teuchi and Ayame waved as we walked away. "Stay safe and warm!"

We waved back and started walking more towards the center of town. There were only a medium amount of people about; it was only 8:30 or so at that point. It seemed like everyone had the same idea of taking a quiet walk or enjoying a night with a loved one…loved one?

Once we had reached near a park bench, I paused in my footsteps. Kiba continued walking for a few steps before noticing I had stopped. "Something the matter?" He asked.

There was good distance between us now: I was on one side of the park bench while he was on the other. Neither of us made an attempt to sit yet, but Kiba closed the distance. "Are you okay?"

"A date?"

"Yeah…uhm, I'm sorry that I didn't actually ask…"

"Kiba…"

"I knew you would say no if I had asked…especially since you're still in love with Sasuke."

I was shocked. Did that really just come out of his mouth?

Kiba looked away, his mouth downturned into a slight pout; more like a grimace, he continued. "I just don't want…I want you to see me like you saw him. I like you. Like I said: I kinda fall in love with people…if I find them admirable or desirable. Regardless of gender. And I know that I'm not usually your type…but…" He looked into my crystal blue eyes and delivered his last piece of confession.

"I don't want to be your type. I just want to be with you."

My heart skipped a bit again. And I blushed. "Don't say stuff like that…it's embarrassing."

Kiba smirked, "Embarrassing?"

"Yeah…"

Kiba took a seat on the park bench and after some thought, I sat down with him. There were a few minutes of awkward silence before I placed my hand in the space in between us. I refused to look at him; but I knew he got the idea.

Instantly, I could feel my hand being encased by something warm. Kiba was holding hands with me at that point. And he gripped tightly, but gently. Tenderly and lovingly, but strongly.

My heart was racing and I finally turned my head, "Kiba, I wan—"

The way it felt to be kissed…I hadn't felt that before.

I relaxed my eyes as his lips connected with mine; he had been waiting for me to turn my head I assumed. The kiss was nothing fancy, but the electricity that shot through my body made it all more intricate. Kiba pulled back for a moment but then reconnected. I kissed back.

I moved a bit closer and put one hand on his shoulder. He put his free hand on my cheek, warming it up. I pulled back and slowly opened up my eyes, looking into his. Our foreheads were pressed together and he panted a bit. Our breathing intertwined like intangible clouds of lust.

"So yeah…that happened…"

Kiba laughed, "Yeah…it did…was it okay?"

"A little slobbery…but I can't complain…" I joked.

Kiba rolled his eyes and he closed his eyes, breathing out a little more.

"I want more."

I closed the space once more, a little more forcefully. He let out a slight moan and kissed back. Little pullbacks, and pushes for dominance. It wasn't meant to be super passionate or lustful, but it wasn't going to be tame either. After about a minute or so of uncontrolled breathing, we pulled away again. He looked into my eyes and I looked into his.

"I like you." Kiba spoke bluntly.

"I don't know…I don't want to seem like I'm using you to get over Sasuke…"

"I don't care…as long as you aren't alone on the holidays. I'll be happy with however much time you need to make sure about me. Just know I'm sure about you…"

I blushed and smiled, placing my hand on top of his; it was still on my cheek. I pressed lightly and closed my eyes. "Thank you…for all of this."

"You needed this, ne?" Kiba laughed.

I nodded and looked up at him, kissing him lightly again. "I did…" I hugged him and let my head rest underneath his chin. Kiba made sure to hold me close, keeping me even warmer than my jacket was. "Let's go back to my place…you can stay over if you want?"

I could feel Kiba tense up and he nodded, "Sure…I assume I'll be sleeping on the couch…?"

"Maybe…depends. Are you warm when you sleep?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow, "Yeah…?"

"Then you are sleeping with me…It's fucking freezing at night."

We shared a laugh and got up, walking towards my home again. As we walked, our hands interlocked less hesitantly this time. I looked slightly up to him. He was no Sasuke…but he was Kiba. He looked back to me and stuck out a tongue playfully.

And that was a lot warmer than any winter night.


End file.
